Thanks for the articles.

I read a Daniela Hantuchova biography written by Dr. Andrew Board. Someone once coined the phrase "15 minutes of fame". He goes beyond this. I certainly could not give this much effort.

There seems to be a lot of oscillation: it's good, it's bad, it's great, it's horrible. Where this ship is headed, I don't know.
I still ask "Who is Daniela Hantuchova"?
__________________________________________
If there was a "15 minutes of fame" show about Daniela -- what would be the 15 second commercial for it? Or IOW, what is the "defining moment" of Daniela Hantuchova? What sums it all up?

Anyways, the quote droped my question:


______________________________________________________
If there was a "15 minutes of fame" show about Daniela -- what would be the 15 second commercial for it? Or IOW, what is the "defining moment" of Daniela Hantuchova? What sums it all up?

Do you get it? The question I'm asking? Like on public television.


I'd love for her to answer this one even.

thanks! maybe I'd read it when I have time =)

"Daniela's defining moment"...
I must admit that I don't know her well enough to answer this question precisely. Everything I know about her has been converted by the media like TV or internet.
From my point of view I would choose her biggest successes (Indian Wells 02 and 07 and AO 2008), but that's only the tennis player Daniela. The real Daniela is far away from most of us fans, which is just normal.
Sure, I would like to get to know her better, but there are thousands of people who think in the same way. And I can understand her that she doesn't want to open her mind to all of them


"Who is Daniela Hantuchova"?
Well, for me she is the greatest tennis player and probably the only tennis player who makes me wake up at night and watch the scoreboard

Well said BlueDragon. There is nothing to add I think.

"...fellow Russian Daniela Hantuchova who at 25 is one of the veterans of the tour."

They've called her a Russian and a veteran. Is she Russian?

From the AO Website:






Hantuchova's love affair continues
Wednesday 21 January 2009
By Matthew Trollope

Daniela Hantuchova loves Melbourne. It is evident in her results at Melbourne Park, and in her reaction to arriving in the city for the year’s first major.

“I couldn’t wait to get started at the Australian Open, after having so many great memories from last year,” she said. “I’m just very excited to be here, to be playing one match at a time and really having fun.”

Last year, the glamorous Slovak won through to the semifinals, the first time she had progressed that far at a major. She got past Maria Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwanska before falling to Ana Ivanovic, a match in which she led 6-0, 2-0 before succumbing.

She also made the quarterfinals in 2003, the fourth round in 2006 and 2007, and has started the 2009 event strongly, winning her first two matches.

Hantuchova’s defeat of local favourite Casey Dellacqua was a dramatic opening-night match on Rod Laver Arena that extended to nearly two hours. Both women had several chances to claim the first set in a tiebreak before Hantuchova, the 19th seed, prevailed 13 points to 11. She went on to take the match 7-6(11) 6-4.

She said her 6-4 4-6 6-3 win over Frenchwoman Mathilde Johansson in her second round match was a much more satisfying performance.

“It was a good fight. There were some great points on which I think I played well … I felt like I was really hitting my shots, and going for more and I felt like I was moving better, just overall I was less nervous [than against Dellacqua],” she said.

In many ways, Hantuchova’s career results – three titles and one Grand Sam semifinal showing – are a loose translation of her talent.

After bursting onto the tennis scene in 2002 by defeating Martina Hingis in the final at Indian Wells and rising to world No. 5 in early 2003, Hantuchova went into a tailspin. She lost form and confidence, languishing outside the top 50 by mid-2004.

To her credit, she was able to work her way back up the rankings ladder before putting in a brilliant performance in 2007, winning Indian Wells again to effectively see her career come full circle. That year she also won her third career title in Linz and qualified for the Tour Championships.

The Slovak said she is accustomed to the nerves that come with playing on the professional circuit. “It’s natural; I think if you weren’t [nervous] it wouldn’t be normal. It shows that I care,” she said.

“But it’s [also] about how you’re able to manage it and I think I handled it pretty well today [against Johansson] … in the first few rounds of a Grand Slam it’s always tough.”

If there was ever a time that nerves could affect her, it should be here at Melbourne Park. After making the semifinals last year, Hantuchova stands to lose a large bundle of points if she does not replicate that performance in 2009. However, she said she did not view the situation in that way. “It’s actually the opposite; I feel very honoured to be able to be in this position,” she said.

It is a situation she would like to find herself in more often if she is to rebuild her ranking following an injury-plagued 2008, during which slipped to world No. 21. Hantuchova said she has worked hard on her fitness during the off-season, and aims to again qualify for the season-ending WTA Tour Championships in 2009.

Should things not go her way on the tennis court, Hantuchova has many interests to keep her occupied off it. She is an accomplished classical pianist, speaks four languages, and loves rollerblading, jet-skiing, swimming and cooking.

But she is yet to indulge in these interests so far in Melbourne this year, preferring instead to concentrate solely on her tennis. “I try to save my energy for my matches and I try to stay focused,” she said. “On my days off, I practice in the morning and have a massage, and just kind of relax.”

She said her 6-4 4-6 6-3 win over Frenchwoman Mathilde Johansson in her second round match was a much more satisfying performance.

“It was a good fight. There were some great points on which I think I played well … I felt like I was really hitting my shots, and going for more and I felt like I was moving better, just overall I was less nervous [than against Dellacqua],” she said.
I don't think she's very realistic. She moved better against Casey Dell'Acqua, and I think shen played better too.

I think she played better in the second round, she hit more UEs in the first round than in the second, she hit more winners in the second than in the first round.
She got a higher percentage of first serves in play in the 2nd round - though not much and still a low percentage, so this is more like equally bad. Definitely needs improvement.

She fought harder in the first match I think, but played better in the 2nd round

^very well said